THE BALLARD GOLD MINE DEALS

 

 

By Gerald B. Bryan

 

As the antecedent history of the Ballards has been largely one of their seeking for magical powers and gold mines, it is no wonder that, living in need as they were, they should try to sell these things to their friends and to the public.

 

In October of 1938, as an aftermath of some old gold mine deals, Guy Ballard was sued in Chicago by a woman who had years before looked upon him as a “Master,” and a high spiritual teacher. The Chicago papers were full of it, devoting front-page headlines to the suit and to his gold-mine stock-selling projects of a previous decade.

 

The writer has no desire to reveal the mistakes of a man’s life just for the mere sake of showing up those mistakes. God knows we all make enough of them. But here is a man who has made unprecedented claims for himself. He has publicly proclaimed the great purity of his life which caused him to be selected as the “Accredited Messenger” of Jesus (!) and the other members of the Cosmic Host. He has sold his public on these claims. They have bought his books and merchandise and have accepted his teachings completely on the strength of the sincerity, honesty, and truth of his claims.

 

It is conceivable that a man previous to a certain spiritual revelation might have lived a very unprincipled life, and then to have changed over completely. It would be manifestly unfair for some one to rake over those mistakes and publicly reveal them for the mere purpose of disconcerting this individual or turning people against him when he was so sincerely trying to “live the life.”

 

The writer, for this reason, has sought mainly to analyze the Ballard books and public utterances, feeling that that alone should be sufficient to reveal the fraud and deception. But many people are not analytically minded, and must have evidence of some personal nature before they can recognize deception.

 

Besides, the Ballard movement has made history, and is no longer a private, secret affair. It is part of a great psychological wave of “escape mechanisms,” or “salvation straws,” both economic and religious, which people have been and are still holding on to, to save themselves from the tragic course of human events which now seems to engulf a good part of the world.

 

Therefore, as this is a history and study of the Ballard cult, it must deal with all phases of it, and certainly there can hardly be eliminated from it those gold-mine activities which have entered so dominantly into the affairs of this cult. When Ballard boldly comes out and makes statements concerning the saintliness of all his life in a last endeavor to keep his people buying his merchandise, then it seems necessary to show the real facts regarding his earlier life as well as more recent events and save additional people, if possible, from being deluded further.

 

What can one think of two people, whose history is known, who over their own signed names will make such a statement as follows?

 

“Mr. G. W. Ballard has never done a dishonest nor dishonorable thing in his entire life and never shall. We have never asked any human being for a thing, not even a dime nor a student list.” (p. 19, Nov., 1938, V.)

 

In 1932 their Saint Germain assertedly said: “This beloved Sister and Brother have gone through thirty years of strenuous, conscious preparation for this work.” (p. 244, D.)

 

It would appear from this statement that Ballard and his wife have consciously been under the direction of great Teachers since 1902, but we ask whether the factual record of Guy Ballard’s earlier life, as already revealed and to be additionally shown, would indicate any real direction from such great Teachers?

 

As further evidence that it does not, we quote from a reliable source as follows:

 

“. . . His activities were first in selling stock in an oil well in one of the southern states . . . He had a dream that it was going to ‘gush’ in February and sold more stock, but many Februaries have passed since then, and no gush. His victims were mostly women “Seeing how gullible they were over buying imaginary things, he then sold almost the same list on another well, so they could get the money lost in the previous investment.

 

“Then Mr. Ballard joined with some others and cooked up the “GOLD LAKE” in California, and practically the same bit again . . .”

 

Now, this “Gold Lake” project in California, which our correspondent mentions above, gives a most revealing picture of the background of Ballardism.

 

On March 25, 1929 —about a year and a half before Ballard said he met Saint Germain on the side of Mt. Shasta— Guy Ballard was indicted in Chicago by the Cook County Grand Jury on charges of “OBTAINING MONEY AND GOODS BY MEANS OF THE CONFIDENCE GAME.” We have a copy of this indictment before us, and that is exactly the way it reads, capitals and all.

 

There were two such indictments, made on the sworn testimony of two women who had invested thousands of dollars in this “Lake of Gold” in California. Warrants were issued for Ballard’s arrest, but he was not apprehended, and did not stand trial.

 

Guy Ballard, during this time, was in Los Angeles using the assumed name of Dick Gilbert. It was in this city while on this enforced absence from Chicago that he gathered some of his material for Unveiled Mysteries, which was later supplemented by Mrs. Ballard’s literary talents when he eventually was able to get back to Chicago.

 

He was absent for two years or more from his home town, during which time his book avers he was “traveling in the Far East.” As a matter of fact, he was in the far west, on the Pacific Coast, traveling around attending metaphysical lectures and still looking for gold mines. There are a number of people in Los Angeles who knew him at that time, and he was certainly not in India.

 

Referring more specifically now to this “Lake of Gold” in California, which caused so many Chicagoans to lose their money, we quote from an unsolicited letter written by a woman who had invested in it:

 

 

Chicago, Ill.

Dec. 14, 1937

 

A friend, Mrs ______, showed me your letter to her of recent date, and as I am one of the Ballards’ victims, I am very glad to tell you a few things of how I have been treated . . .

 

I have known the Ballards for years, first meeting him through a mining proposition called the Gold Lake, and like everybody else I was fooled in the man. I borrowed $200.00 from a friend to put in the Gold Lake, having already several hundred in it, and he begged me to loan him that $200 for his personal use he was so up against it and he said he would give me double the shares in the mine out of his holdings, etc.

 

It took me a long time to let him have it, and I asked him especially if he would be sure and give me credit on the books anyway so I would be sure to get my shares, and he promised, and which he NEVER did . . .

 

I have letters in which he says he does not owe me by ‘Divine right.’ . . .

 

A dear old lady in her 80’s then, and has now passed away, felt so certain of this proposition going over she gave her all, her last $100 Ballard went and took from her . . .

 

He went to see a couple of elderly ladies, two sisters, one totally blind, and he got some money from them presumably for the Gold Lake, and he gave a receipt but never put it on the books.

 

(Signed) Miss ______

 

 

This woman has many times tried to get Ballard to pay back the money he borrowed from her. In reply to one of her early letters to him in regard to this loan, he wrote her a letter which was postmarked Los Angeles.

 

Excerpts from this letter, which was written in Ballard’s own handwriting, follow:

 

March 28, 1929

 

My dear Miss ______

 

God bless you most kind friend. Your letter reached [me] after being forwarded twice, as I am changing about all the time trying to get something accomplished. The mining deals I came out here on did not work out . . .

 

I have been trying to secure employment west, but so far have not been able to get work You do not seem to understand (from your letter) dear friend the terrible sacrifice I made to try to serve those people in that lake enterprise . . .

 

But some day God will place in my hands money to pay back every dollar that anybody ever assisted me with. At this time I haven’t a dollar to help any body . . .

 

When God sees fit to help me to success, I will be so happy and grateful to return every dollar of kindness that has been extended to me. Until then I am powerless to help.

 

. . . I know so well everyone who condemns me will be consumed by their own hatred.

 

I am leaving for Nevada at once. If anything comes into my hands to help, I will gladly do it. A friend is trying to help me get on my feet again.

 

(Signed) Guy W. Ballard

 

 

This hand-written letter of Mr. Ballard’s gives a very good picture of his life and wanderings just prior to his alleged contact with “Saint Germain” on the side of Mt. Shasta.

 

Does that life, with all of its admitted inability to cope with circumstances, seem to be good material for a great “Master” to work with?

 

Why should this man, who admittedly was duped in a mining deal, be selected out of one hundred and thirty million people to “Save America” from all its economic and spiritual ills?

 

Why should this particular “Messenger,” of whom, assertedly, Jesus himself says has “not made one single mistake from the beginning,” a man who “for thirty years has been consciously preparing for this work,” have been selected when there were records against him of having made mistakes?

 

But let us see the sequel of this correspondence.

 

This woman who was duped, hearing Ballard was back in Chicago selling people on his “Mighty I AM,” and thinking that the “I AM” would surely give him enough money to pay the small debt he had so faithfully promised to pay, wrote him again.

 

His reply follows:

February 11, 1934

Miss _____,

 

Your letter received after some delay, I have no money for myself, you or anyone else.

 

If you will remind yourself of the thought and feeling of condemnation, hatred and the wish to take away the liberty of God’s children, then you will understand why you have no position, money or health. For what you think, feel and desire for another you draw with invincible power into your own life and experience whether you believe it or not . . .

 

When you joined others with the intent to take away my freedom, you deprived yourself of every divine right of any assistance from me.

 

However, at some future time should abundance come into my hands I would gladly help you if only to return good for evil. May God’s Love and Light ever enfold you.

 

(Signed) Guy W. Ballard

 

 

Not to be put off by any such letter, this woman again wrote Ballard pointing out that his accusations in the second paragraph were totally untrue, but that IF they were, the same thing would apply in his case also and be the reason why he, too, had “no money for himself, his creditors, or anyone else.”

 

Then referring to the third paragraph in which Ballard had said, “You deprive yourself of every divine right of any assistance from me,” she said: “Let me make this clear to you. By DIVINE right you owe me the $200 which you borrowed in cold cash for your ‘personal use.’ I am not asking you for any ‘help,’ ‘assistance,’ or CHARITY . . . I am asking for only what is mine . . . If you have not got the $200 to send at one time, then pay by the week.” And what was the “Accredited Messenger’s” reply to this righteous request? It is given below:

 

Miss _____,

 

Your second letter received. I have informed you this outer form has no money to assist you and no income to promise you or anyone anything definite.

 

In spite of reports to you, we do not own a home and no money is being received for the instruction that is being given. In regard to the letter that you sent me, I simply say God bless You.

 

(Signed) Guy W. Ballard.

 

 

Remember at this time (1934) Ballard, for nearly four years had been under the special training of “Saint Germain,” at least so he said, having met that gentleman on the side of Mt. Shasta in 1930, and at that time this great “Master” for his amusement had plucked a ten dollar gold piece from the mountain air with all the ease of a frock-coated magician.

 

He had also shown Ballard an entire room filled with coins and nuggets, and “Spanish gold lost at sea” — and had presented him with a gold mine or two.

 

Yet, despite the magic of his great “Master” and the wealth of “Spanish gold” and Colorado gold mines, this man could not pay this poor, deaf, struggling woman the $200.00 he had borrowed from her — not even a few dollars a week!

 

And this money has not been paid to this day, despite the fact that these people and their “staff” tour the country in princely style and life off the fat of the land.

 

How different is their front to the world! How can they write and speak the consummate nonsense of their saintliness and goodness that they do?

 

“Dear ones,” said Ballard through his own vocal cords to his San Francisco audience on January 23, 1938, “the Messengers should be a mighty example to you. They have never asked for a dime in their lives.” (pp. 391-392, A.M.L.)

 

And yet in the city of Chicago and elsewhere there are a number of people from whom Ballard has begged and borrowed money. Despite this, he and his wife had the audacity to publish over their own signatures the following moral instruction to their people — as though they had lived up to it one hundred per cent themselves!

 

“Beloved Young America! . . . If you borrow either money or things, FEEL your responsibility and see that you return them to the one who was kind enough to accommodate you. Just because someone is kind and willing to make things easier for you is no reason you should fail to remember that the thing loaned to you should be returned . . . Lovingly, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Ballard.” (pp. 33-34, Feb., 1938, V.)

 

Ask the scores of people who either lent money to Ballard or his wife, or invested it in the “Lake of Gold,” whether these “Accredited Messenger of the Ascended Masters” have lived up to precepts they so glibly give others.

 

 

 

(Psychic Dictatorship in America, chapter 18)